I have never attended a poetry slam before…
I entered the student union ballroom on Tuesday the fourth of October with an open mind. I was excited to be there. It felt exciting with the loud R&B music playing in the background to set the atmosphere. The first potion of the night was an open mic night, where brave souls performed their original works of poetry. The first poet started the night off strong with very realistic imagery and powerful language that made me open my ears wider to listen to every word. The second up were two girls by the names of Alyssa and Brianna. The girls performed a rap that riled up the crowd and pumped up the energy for the night. They were not your average rappers though as they made it clear they were not like Nikki Minaj (but they do appreciate her work).
The feature for the night, Kendel Joseph, was an emotional poet. His six poems were each eloquently delivered and breathtaking. His first poem was about his pregnant fourteen year old cousin. The poem drew the crowd to silence and snaps. His third poem called, “20 A Free Falling”, used creative imagery. My favorite line was “sweat curdling down your back”. He then said he was going to do a love poem. He also declared that his poem “Poem for Juliet”, yes her name was Juliet, is because he one day wants to be a Romeo. This statement just made me want to say “awww”. The only surprise with this poem was that it was just as emotional as the first three. The last two poems were persona poems, where he acted as if he were something else. In one he was a sparkplug and the other a fish in a tank. The last two were interesting to say the least because it takes you mind to a different place.
The last portion of the night was the slam. A poetry slam is a multi-round competition where the poets have three and a half minutes to spit an original work and then five judges score on a scale from 0-10 with a one point decimal. I had the opportunity of being a part of the slam by participating as a judge. It helped me see the experience differently because the audience lets you know whether or not they like your scores. I thought that all the poets did really well though, they were all very talented.